Ferguson names leaders for three state agencies

Columbia Basin Herald

OLYMPIA – Governor-elect Bob Ferguson selected leaders of three state agencies Wednesday, according to an announcement from Ferguson’s office: Marcus Glasper as director of the Department of Licensing; David Puente Jr. as the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Cheryl Strange as acting secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services. Strange formerly served as Secretary of DSHS from 2017 to 2021.

Marcus Glasper has been serving as the director of the Department of Licensing since April 2023, according to the announcement. In his role at DOL, Glasper serves on the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission and the Transportation Economic and Revenue Forecast Council.

Glasper has over 30 years of public sector experience, and prior to his appointment at DOL, he served as the director of the Washington State Lottery for five years. He has served the public in a variety of Washington State executive leadership positions including Deputy Director at the Department of Revenue and Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Department of Corrections. Prior to his state service, he spent a decade working for the United States Department of Energy.

Glasper received his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a Master of Engineering Management from Washington State University. He has also completed senior executive programs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, USDA Graduate School, and the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs.

He is actively involved in his community serving as a mediator with the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center, and on the board of directors for the South Puget Sound Community College Foundation and the Washington State Employees Credit Union. He resides in Olympia.

David Puente Jr. was appointed director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs in February of 2023, the announcement said. Prior to that he served as WDVA’s deputy director beginning in February 2020.

Puente is committed to ensuring WDVA is focused on adapting to emerging issues to achieve the vision of improving the quality of life for veterans and their families. Puente is an Army veteran, serving in the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, and a member of American Legion Post 164.

Prior to joining WDVA he served at the Department of Labor and Industries for 28 years.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational safety and health from Central Washington University. He serves on the board of directors for the Washington Youth Academy Foundation, as a board member of CIELO, Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia, and a member of American Legion Post 164. He enjoys serving his community by officiating baseball and football as a member of the Washington Officials Association. He is also a member of the South Sound Football Official Association, Thurston County Youth Football League, and South Sound Umpires Association.

Cheryl Strange has been serving as secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections since May 15, 2021. Prior to her appointment as Secretary of Corrections, Strange served as Secretary of Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services, the state’s largest human service agency, where she was appointed to the position by Governor Jay Inslee in 2017. She is a respected and proven leader who has cultivated a humane, progressive and equitable institutional culture, according to the announcement.

Strange has dedicated her life to public service, serving more than 40 years in government, non-profits, and labor organizations, holding leadership positions in those organizations for over half of that time. She served as DOC deputy secretary from 2008 to 2011. She has also served as vice president for Pioneer Human Services where she worked on the important issues of reentry, work release, and behavioral health. Prior to serving as DSHS secretary, she served as CEO of Western State Hospital, and director of Health Benefits Trust for SEIU 775. Strange was also assistant director for the DSHS Mental Health Division, where she managed the state’s public mental health system, including the state’s three hospitals, and community outpatient mental health services.

Strange earned her bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College, her Master of Public Administration from Seattle University, completed the executive management program certification at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and earned a certificate in healthcare policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

“Washington state faces significant challenges, and these proven leaders will help me make government work for the People,” Ferguson wrote in the announcement. “I can count on these talented individuals to lead the hardworking Washingtonians in their agencies in order to move our state forward, get things done, and protect our core freedoms.”